Solar-powered highways – now that is something you don’t see everyday, although it could very well get more and more common as time passes by. Republic Solar Highways is the company who wants that particular vision to be fulfilled in time, having formed a partnership with Caithness Energy so that they are able to install solar power generating systems throughout states in the US, starting off with California. In fact, the company has already received the backing of the California Department of Transportation for the project, where they plan to roll out solar-powered highways for seven interchanges along the US 101, starting from San Jose and going all the way down to Gilroy.
According to Republic Solar Highways, such photovoltaic systems located in the seven interchanges will be capable of generating up to 15 megawatts of electricity. To put it in a more practical manner, that is enough juice to power around 3,000 homes, and all that juice will be sold to Pacific Gas & Electric.
This will be a pilot project, and they will first explore land that has “little to no commercial value” in order to maximize what could potentially be a money spinner. I like the idea of that, at least vast tracts of land that cannot be profitable otherwise could see their potential maximized in a green manner.
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